Valve device



(No Model.)

lVI. B. MILLS.

VALVE DEVICE. No. 489,885. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

g 1I' Vi if u In n" nr! Il! lii ing from their bases through the table por- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER B. MILLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VALVE DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,885, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed July 12, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MOETIMER B. M1LLs.a citizen of the United States, residing atOhicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Valve Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The immediate object of my invention is to provide a simple novel construction of valve which shall be readily and reliably operative and effective as a means for controlling the air-pressure in connection with pneumatically-operated railway-crossing gates. It is, however, equally useful and applicable to various lother purposes, as for switches and signals operated by duid-pressure and for controlling fluid-pressure generally, and I desire to be understood as intending to claim it for all the applications to which it may be adapted. The description, hereinafter contained, of the manner of its operation is, however, for the sake of convenience and brevity, limited to its use as a valve device for controlling the air-pressure employed as the medium through which to operate the swinging arms of railway-gates.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved valve device, showing its parts duplicated to provide one valve device for each of two pneumaticallyoperated railway-crossing gates; Fig. 2, a section taken at the line 2 of Fig. l and Viewed in the direction of the arrow, and Fig. 3 a section taken at the line 3 of Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

A is a support, preferably of metal, and in the form of a bracket having the back r and table portion p. From near the base of theback r extends a lip q, rounded on its Vunder side to form a convex bearing o, for a purpose hereinafter described. In the table portion p near its forward edge, and preferably in direct line with the center of the bearing o, is a recess n, the preferred form of which is that illustrated-namely, of an inverted conefrusturn closed at its base-and the recess n is flanked by similar recesses m and Z, opention 1o, (thus constituting therein ports,) where they should be threaded, as shown, to receive, respectively, the threaded ends of pipes m and Z. The recesses m and Z should, in turn, be ianked by suitable stops m2 and Z2.

B is the valve proper, comprising ashellk,

Serial No. 358,493. (No model.)

jwhich should be'iiat at least along its under side, and is suiiiciently long to extend from near the back r of the support A beyond the recesses m n Z, and the shell k is extended from its forward end into a stem c', weighted at its outer extremity, as by means of the knob h. Directly below the lip q the table portion p of the support Acontains an opening g, which should be elongated transversely of the table port-ion and caused to flare slightly, as indicated in Fig. 3, in a downward and outward direction. The shell lo is disposed on the support to bring its rear end underneath the bearing o and to cause its interior passage or chamber 7a to communicate from near its rear end through au opening f with the opening g in the table, and a pipe e is inserted through the opening g into the opening f, being secured in tho latter, as by screwing. Thus the device B may be piv- ,otally supported on the table portion p.

Toward the forward end of the shell k it is provided on its under side with a nipple d, which should be rounded to tit any of the recesses m n Z and form with it a species of ball-and-socket joint, thereby affording a tight passage from a pipe Z or m into the chamber 7o through an opening d in the nipple.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the valve device is shown in the drawings as being provided in duplicate (for two sets of gates, each having one arm or two or more connected arms) with the supports A formed integral as a single support, and the support A may be defined, and the structure should be strengthened by means of the web c.

The operation of the device, in connection with a pn eumatically-operated railway-crossing gate, is as follows: The support A being secured in position, as through the back fr, against a wall of the operators station or cabin, the pipe e for each valve proper B is supposed to lead i-nto the chamber Zr. through the medium of the hose-connection e from the air-pressure supply pump or reservoir. (Not shown.) The vertically-swinging gatearms are supposed to be, as is usually the case, counterbalanced on their supportingposts, whereby their tendency will be to remain up when raised and down when lowered, the purpose of the air-pressure being alternately to raise and lower them through the medium of piston or analogous mechanism IOO connected with the gate-arms at opposite sides of their fulcrums. Supposing, then, the gate-arms to be raised and requiring to be lowered. The shell k is turned on its pivot by the operator, who raises it for the purpose, grasping it at its knob h, and seats the nipple CZ into an opening, say the port m. Zhen the air-pressure is then let on, it passes through the pipes c c, chamber la', passage cZ, and pipe m to the piston or analogous mechanism controlling the downward movement of one or more gate-arms, and the latter, in lowering under the force of the airpressure against the said controlling piston mechanism, obviously operates the piston or analogous mechanism controlling the opposite movement of the gate arm or arms inthe contrary direction, which last-named movement is unobstructed by air-pressure, since the latter (if previously introduced through the pipe Z to raise the arms) may escape into space, the passage being open through the pipe Z to the open air. When the lowering of the arm or arms has been accomplished, the operator should raise the device B and turn itto bring its nipple dinto the closed recess n, which not only closes the compressedair supply, if it be from a storage-receiver, by the Weight h, the force of which is greater than that of the air-pressure, but leaves both pipes Z and m open to the outer air, thereby maintaining only normal air-pressurein them, and thus an equal pressure on each of the pistons or analogous devices for the opposite sides of the gate-arm.

As will readily be understood from the foregoing description, to subsequently raise the gate-arms the operator has but to raise the device B and turn it to insert the nipple ci into the port or seat Z to direct the air-pressure through the pipe Z', and after the raising has been performed the valve B should'be again seated in the intermediate closedk re- -cess n.

In the same way as the device is used for the gate-operating'purpose described it may be readily applied or adapted for application to other purposes without thereby departing from'my invention.

While the valve proper B is shown and described as'being pivotal, it may, obviously, be otherwise movable for operating it.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a valve device, the combination of a support A, having ports fm, and Z and'. a shell 7c on the support and having an inlet-opening toward one end of its chamber Za and an outlet-opening toward the opposite end thereof to be brought into coincidence with the ports m and Z by moving the shell, substantially as described.

2. Ina valve device, the combination of a support A, having ports .m 4and Z and an intermediate recess u, closed at its base, and a Weighted shell k on the support and having aninlet-opening toward one end of its chamber 7c and an outlet-opening toward vthe opposite end thereof to be brought successively into coincidence with the said ports and recess by moving the shell, substantially as described.

3. In a valve device, the combination of a support A, having ports m and Z and a shell 7c on the support and weighted toward its outer end and having an inlet-openingf toward one end of its chamber Zo and a rounded perforated nipple CZ, forming the outlet-opening, toward the opposite end thereof, to be brought, by moving the shell, into coincidence and form substantially ball-and-socket join ts with the said ports, substantially as described. 4

4. In a valve device, the combination of a support A, having ports m and Z and an intermediate recess n, closed at its base, and a shell k on the support and Weighted toward its outer end and having an inlet-opening f toward one end of its chamber k. and a rounded perforated nipple CZ, formingthe outlet-opening, toward the opposite end thereof, to be brought by turning the sh ell on its pivot into successive coincidence and form substantially. balland socket joints with the said ports and recess, substantially as described.

5. In a valve device, the combination of a support A, having an opening g near one side and ports Z and m and an intermediate recess n near its opposite side, pipes mand Z leading, respectively, into the ports Z and m, and a shell Zo, pivotally connected near its inner end with the support and provided near such end with an inlet-opening f to its chamber Ze', a supply-pipe c, leading into the said chamber through the openings g and f, a weighted stem z', extending from the outer end of the shell, and a perforated rounded nipple d, forming the outlet from the said chamber,near the outer end of the shell, substantially as described.

6. A valve device comprising, in combination,.a support A, having a back r, provided with a bearing, and a table portion p, provided With an opening g near the back and With ports Z and m, flanked by stops, and an intermediate recess n near its forward edge, pipes m and Z, connected with theports, a valve proper B, comprising a shell having a weighted stem 'i extending from its outer end,

and provided near the said outer end with a perforated nipple d, forming the outlet from the chamber Zc'an inlet-opening f to the said chamber near the inner end of the shell, and a supply-pipe e, leading into the said inletopening through the opening g in the support and pivotally supporting the shell between the table portion p and bearing on the Vback r, the Whole being constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

MORTIMERB. MILLS. In presence of- J. W. DYRENFORTH, M. J. FROST.

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